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How Much is a Politician Worth?

In this month’s cover story, Florida Trend examines the net worth of Florida’s leading politicians and the fundamentals underlying their personal finances.

Among the more surprising figures is the net worth of Governor Charlie Crist, who is among the lowest on the list at roughly $466,000. The rest of his cabinent maintains a net worths ranging from $1.2 million for Attorney General Bill McCollum to $8.6 million for State CFO Alex Sink.

Florida’s U.S. Congressional Delegation is more evenly matched, with most having a net worth in the $1 million to $10 million range. However, there are two notable exceptions: Rep. Vern Buchanan and Rep. Tom Rooney.

As reported, Buchanan’s net worth is the highest on the lest and could be as high as $345.2 million — or as low as negative $70.9 million — which is an incredible swing in either direction.

The lowest net worth of the Florida Delegation? U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, with a comparatively paltry net worth of $433,000. Interestingly, Florida Trend reports the young Congressman “doubled his salary by getting elected to Congress: While he earned about $89,000 a year as a lawyer with Kramer, Sopko & Levenstein, he is now earning $174,000 as a congressman.